Earlier this week, a person posted on my local Freecycle board looking for 3-ring binders. Perfect, I thought. I had two boxes full of empty binders that I had used to store files that were now empty (see HERE) and ready to go to a new home. I happily responded that I had two boxes of binders that I would be glad to give away, and we set a pickup time.… Continue reading
Life
A Day at the County Fair
Each year when the County Fair is in full swing, we make a venture out to our local fairgrounds. Our fair is small (very, very small compared to many other county fairs – but then our county is pretty small), but that’s part of what makes it a great experience.
My boys love animals, so we spent lots of time wandering through the animal barns.… Continue reading
Caterpillars to Butterflies: A Lesson in Metamorphosis
The first time we ordered caterpillars with the intent of studying their metamorphosis, I was almost at the end of my second pregnancy (we used a kit like THIS). I ordered them within a day or two of moving into our new home, and they arrived about a week later. It seemed a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of life in our new house.… Continue reading
Preparing for another Road Trip
In just over a week, we are heading out on our second road trip of the summer. While our first summer road trip (see HERE) took us to points west, this time we will drive east: driving from Colorado to Michigan. We’re all excited to visit our Michigan family, and spending two weeks on the shore of Lake Michigan will be a lovely bonus.… Continue reading
Life: When Chaos Descends
Every once in a while, I feel like chaos simply descends upon our house. We’re all going through life, fairly normal and happy and in a routine of sorts, and then, one day, seemingly from out of nowhere: chaos. This week it was ushered in by the conjunction of two things. First, my 2 year old is both teething and has a nasty cold.… Continue reading
Get Moving: Go Fly a Kite
We’ve been trying for weeks to go kite flying. We’ve had our kite ready to go. We’ve had several afternoon playdates scheduled with friends at an open park that would be great for kite flying. We’ve even practiced running the kite around our yard (though not too much – we have far too many trees to be a good yard for flying a kite).… Continue reading
Preparing for a Family Road Trip
This week we’re heading out to California to visit my family. For us, that means a family road trip over the course of which we’ll drive about 2500 miles.
Many people recommend making lots of stops along the way in order to break up the trip for kids. We actually find that tackling the drive in one long day with lots of bathroom and stretch-our-legs breaks but no touristy stops works well for us.… Continue reading
Simplify Saturday: Learn to Pack Light
I used to pride myself on being a light packer. I could head on a weekend trip carrying only my regular day-pack backpack (a school-style pack I carried everywhere). I could pack for a month-long trip in a single, carry-on sized suitcase. I could have my bag ready for a trip of almost any length within a half-an-hour for a spontaneous trip.… Continue reading
Gender Stereotyping in Boys Clothing
My boys wear used clothing almost exclusively. I haven’t bought them any new outfits; the only new items I’ve bought are underwear, socks, and shoes. Everything else they wear now or have worn is either used or has been a gift. We’ve been fortunate enough to receive a great many clothes as hand-me-downs from family and friends. My boys have also received, especially when they were babies, gifts of new clothes.… Continue reading
Life: The Hazards of Balloon Launching
My boys received a package of rocket balloons as a gift from a dear friend. These balloons launch fast and fly high. My boys love them.
We spent a beautiful afternoon outside learning about aerodynamics, the force of propulsion, using power to push an object forward, creating and controlling thrust, and what happens when air moves from a high pressure to a low pressure environment, all in a fun, hands-on manner.… Continue reading